Queensland developers are increasingly looking to contractors from Sydney and Melbourne to fill a near-$46 billion construction hole caused by a lack of local capacity in a sector hit hard by insolvencies.

Southport-based Pask Group in August appointed Sydney’s Versatile Construction to build its 19-floor, 29-luxury apartment Ocean Place development in Burleigh Heads, while this month Melbourne’s Kokoda Property appointed the Sydney company to build its four-tower Teneriffe Banks project in Brisbane.